Category: church life

Cardinal Burke Has Serious Doubts

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Raymond Leo Burke - Wikipedia

Cardinal Burke

Back in August Raymond Cardinal Burke and several others sent a message to Pope Francis asking for answers to certain “dubia”–doubts–that they have concerning some of his theology. The full communication, Notification to Christ’s Faithful, is available online (https://www.cardinalburke.com/presentations/notification-to-christs-faithful).

No. 1 on their list of “dubia” is this: Should the church “reinterpret Divine Revelation according to the cultural and anthropological changes in vogue”? I’m guessing these cardinals don’t want to do that but they’re afraid this pope does.

They’re also asking if this pope is suggesting that “the theology of the Church has changed.” For instance: Does every sin get forgiven, whether or not the sinner repents? I think that’s a very slippery slope. So do the cardinals. They think the Church could be led into “confusion and error.”

No answer has been received from the Vatican. The doubts continue unresolved.

The Church that belongs to Jesus Christ Our Lord transcends denominations. We should all be praying for “the ten just men” within the Roman Catholic Church. And stand together with them.

By Request, ‘Praise to the Lord, the Almighty’

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This is another one of my Sunday school favorites: Praise to the Lord, the Almighty, requested by Elder Mike, sung by the Altar of Praise Men’s Chorale.

We’re open for hymn requests all day; if there’s a hymn you’d like to share, don’t be shy.

About Those Hymns…

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41,600+ Kids Singing Stock Photos, Pictures & Royalty-Free Images - iStock | Kids singing in car, Kids singing at home, School kids singing

(Rain, rain, rain… I could go back to bed…)

Elder Mike was wondering about hymns by Fanny Crosby that I’ve never posted. You know, she wrote eight or nine thousand of them. East to miss a few thousand of them. Some are still very popular today; some are forgotten.

I went into the archives and found that 20 Fanny Crosby hymns have been posted here; and I’m afraid a few of them have been posted very often (He Hideth My Soul, Draw Me Nearer, To God Be the Glory, and a few others).

Yes, I do repeat myself. I post my favorite hymns a lot.

But I want to post your favorites, too; I’ve always got my eye out for a hymn request. I wish all my readers would make one now and then. Maybe I’ve let myself in for a “Be careful what you wish for” moment–but really, I don’t see how we can have too many hymns.

Any Isaac Watts or Charles Wesley hymns out there that I haven’t posted yet?

How Not to Behave in Church

Posted By: leeduigonPosted On:

Bar Brawl - TV Tropes

You’d never guess it was a church service, would you?

Something’s wrong with people, these days.

A few days ago police in Fernandina Beach, Florida, came a-runnin’ to break up a fight… between two women… in church (https://news.yahoo.com/nassau-woman-arrested-attacking-woman-165426730.html). St. Peter’s Episcopal Church, to be specific.

I have a hard time imagining this. Police had to sort out which of the women had started the fight–well, at least they had a lot of witnesses. Despite the women’s efforts to choke, punch, and trip each other, not to mention harsh language and a cup of hot coffee, neither of the women was injured.

Is this how anyone behaves in church? It reminds me of the saloon brawl scenes in old Westerns. The guy at the piano keeps playing while the cowboys break furniture on each other’s heads. I’d like to know how the church organist at St. Peter’s reacted to this event.

One can hardly find words.

‘What It’s All About’ (2018)

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35,500+ Riot Stock Photos, Pictures & Royalty-Free Images - iStock | Protest, Riot police, Crowd

There is war in heaven and on earth–whether or not we see it. Satan and his slaves are fighting tooth and nail to bring all Creation under their control. And then destroy it.

It took me very many years to see this; and now I can’t un-see it.

What It’s All About

Why couldn’t I see this in college? I grew up in a Christian church, I’d read the Bible, everybody told me I was smart. But I wasn’t smart enough to see. Kept looking for worldly solutions to what I thought were worldly problems.

Look where that foolishness has got us. We’re afraid to tell male from female anymore.

Wise up, O men of God.

Some Good News, For a Change

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Auburn football coach Hugh Freeze baptizes students at worship event

Wading into the lake for baptism–impressive, isn’t it?

A mass religious gathering last week at Auburn University, Kentucky, took an unexpected turn when more than 200 students had themselves baptized in a lake (https://www.foxnews.com/us/auburn-students-rush-lake-impromptu-baptisms-football-coach-lends-hand). Video is included in the link.

Clothes and all, students rushed into the lake to be baptized to follow Our Lord Jess Christ. The university’s football coach waded into the water to lend a hand. The gathering was part of a “Unite Auburn” rally featuring Christian preachers, teachers, and musicians.

So that’s some 200 more Christian brothers and sisters than we had the day before!

Encore: ‘We Are Not Alone’

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“Sing louder!” the lady said. Well, all right. This was the first hymn to pop into my head this morning–and the first to come up on YouTube. We Are Not Alone–coming to us from southern India. Excuse me for posting it again: I think I need it.

A Touch of Bible… in a Cop Show

Posted By: leeduigonPosted On:

A Touch of Frost (TV Series 1992–2010) - IMDb

We’ve been watching A Touch of Frost, a popular British police drama available on line. You might ask, “What can you learn from a cop show?” Well, more than you might expect.

I have never seen another show that more conscientiously explores the effects of crime on innocent family members, neighborhoods, and others who just happen to be in the wrong place at the wrong time. Law-breaking leaves destruction in its path–and that’s only man’s laws we’re talking about. What happens when we break God’s laws?

Nothing good.

Theft and con games destroy trust. Adultery destroys families. Murder destroys lives. And people who’ve done nothing wrong become collateral damage. You could weep for them. And for the police who have to try to pick up the pieces and prevent any further damage.

One immediately thinks of the crime waves sweeping our own country’s major cities nowadays, which seems to get worse by the day. What are these cities going to turn into, if it doesn’t stop?

Let’s pray we don’t find out.

Walking outside of God’s laws brought us to this crisis. It will not bring us out of it.

Church of England Priests Show Badly in New Poll

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Does your priest, minister, or rabbi believe the Bible?

According to a new poll by The Times, for Christian Concern, more than 60 percent of Church of England priests do not believe the Bible’s teachings (https://www.thegatewaypundit.com/2023/09/do-most-church-leaders-even-believe-bible-poll/)–more specifically, Biblical teachings that apply to homosexual behavior, premarital sex, and same-sex “marriages.”

The poll contacted some 5,000 priests and got 1,436 responses.

A critic said what hardly needs saying: that “aping current values” of the culture is “the road to extinction” for the church.

It’s bad news, but it’s always necessary to recognize the problem before anything meaningful can be done about it. The rot has set in.

It has happened before; and God has always preserved a faithful remnant.

Make sure you’re in that number… when the saints go marching in.

How Did This Slip Past Us?

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You're Probably Worshiping a False God | Christianity Today

There’s always a golden calf somewhere, isn’t there?

This happened in 2015, eight years ago, and has only just been noticed.

A pastor at Bethel Church, Redding, California (where else?), gave a sermon in which he claimed that Jesus Christ, Our Savior, asked him, Joe Blow, for forgiveness (https://protestia.com/2023/09/02/bethel-chuch-pastor-gives-blasphemous-testimony-jesus-asked-me-to-forgive-him/).

Oh, that “Anything Goes” theology! Our Protestant churches crank it out by the truckload.

Maybe we do deserve the leaders we have, after all.

I doubt it’s necessary for me to critique this pastor’s message.